Nigeria — map and facts

About Nigeria

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, home to over 220 million people, and is located in West Africa along the Gulf of Guinea. It is a federal republic of 36 states plus the Federal Capital Territory, with Abuja as its capital and Lagos as its largest city and economic engine—one of the continent's fastest-growing megacities. English is the official language, but hundreds of languages are spoken, with Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo being the three most widely spoken. Nigeria is a multi-religious nation, roughly split between a predominantly Muslim north and a predominantly Christian south, with indigenous religions also practised. Nigeria has the largest economy in Africa by GDP, driven by oil and gas, agriculture, telecommunications, and a large informal economy. The country is globally significant for its Nollywood film industry—the world's second most prolific—its Afrobeats music scene, and a diaspora that contributes substantially to global culture. Nigeria faces deep challenges including corruption, insecurity, infrastructure deficits, and intercommunal tensions.

Geography and Landscape

Nigeria covers approximately 924,000 square kilometres in western sub-Saharan Africa and has a diverse geography. The south is characterised by tropical rainforest and the Niger Delta, one of the world's largest river deltas and the centre of the country's oil industry. The Niger and Benue Rivers—two of West Africa's great waterways—meet in central Nigeria at Lokoja, forming a broad floodplain before the Niger flows south to the sea. The centre of the country is marked by the Jos Plateau, a high, relatively cool grassland rising to over 1,700 metres. The north transitions through savannah and the Sahel to semi-desert terrain approaching Lake Chad in the northeast, where the Borno Basin is home to one of Africa's great shrinking lakes. Mandara Mountains along the northeast border provide rugged terrain. The climate ranges from equatorial and humid in the south to hot and dry in the far north, with a single rainy season in the north and two in the south.

History

Nigeria's territory has been home to some of Africa's most sophisticated ancient civilisations. The Nok culture produced remarkable terracotta sculpture from around 1000 BCE. The Kanem-Bornu Empire dominated the Lake Chad basin from the ninth century, while the Hausa city-states flourished in the north and the Yoruba kingdoms—including Ife and Oyo—and the Kingdom of Benin developed highly advanced art and political systems in the west and south. Transatlantic slave trade from the fifteenth to nineteenth centuries caused immense human suffering. British colonial rule solidified after the Royal Niger Company was nationalised in 1900, and the colony of Nigeria was amalgamated by Lord Lugard in 1914. Independence was achieved on 1 October 1960. The Biafran War (1967–1970), in which the Igbo-led southeastern region attempted secession, cost an estimated one to three million lives. Military rule dominated from 1966 to 1999 with brief civilian interludes. Democracy was restored in 1999 under Olusegun Obasanjo and has continued, despite significant instability and the Boko Haram insurgency that has plagued the northeast since 2009.